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Thursday, May 7, 2015

On Saturday May 16th from 12-5pm the Independent minor league baseball team The Rockland Boulders will be hosting their 3rd Annual “Beer Around the Bases” craft beer festival! It takes place in Provident Bank Park in Pomona, N.Y. (Rockland County). For $25 you get unlimited tastings of more than 25 beers, live music and entertainment all followed by a matchup between the Boulders and the NYPD baseball team and then fireworks! Take us out to (the beer fest and then) the ballgame!

We had a chance to sit down with George McElroy, the man behind the fest. He was born in Nyack in Rockland County, NY and has been a resident of the county his entire life. He is the General Manager of Ovations Food Services at Provident Bank Park. He definitely drinks his share of craft beer and couldn’t be happier to hold this new annual Boulders tradition.

Here is our talk with George:

ITBAN

Baseball and beer. Two of America’s favorite pastimes. Of all the major sports, baseball really lends itself to enjoying a craft beer, not just drinking a beer. Each games sets its own pace, its played during great weather (most of the time) and you can relax and sip in the sun or summer eve. That being said, how does the Rockland Boulders organization and yourself decide what beer will be served at Provident Bank Park? Is the selection during the season limited to contracts with your vending organization or the distributor?

GM

We are proudly teamed up with Dana Distributors which is a Budweiser distributor. That being said, we have to bring in beers that Dana offers. They have a wide selection of beer and I strive to bring in all of their crafty beers.

ITBAN

We were told that you were the man behind the Rockland Boulders Annual Craft Beer Festival. Can you tell us a little bit about how “Beer Around The Bases” came to be? And now that it is in its 3rd year, have there been any major changes since year one? Are there some things that you learned along the way, running the first two?

GM

Three years ago we decided that we could host a great craft beer festival and we had a beautiful spot to host such an event. So we just went for it…each year we hosted the event in September. This year is much different, we decided to go a different route and host the event in May. We hope that the weather will be better and it will give people the chance to check out the ballpark before we open for the season.

ITBAN

You may even get some new season ticket purchasers once they see the beautiful park. Throughout the stadium patrons have a few beverage possibilities…beer, soda, wine, coffee, water, etc. We assume every single purchase made is catalogued and inventoried in a database somewhere so…at the end of the season what has been the biggest seller?

GM

You would be correct, we catalog and inventory every food item in the stadium. Canned and Draft beer are the highest sellers in the park. Canned comes in first! I believe that people just love to hold a giant canned beer.

ITBAN

The Minor League baseball experience is known for some great promotions that make the games a lot of fun for a whole family. Besides drinking beer at "Beer Around The Bases" and watching some good baseball, what fun promotions do the Boulders have on tap for other games this season? And what’s the wackiest promotion or fan night that you guys have ever done?

Beautiful Provident Bank Park

GM

One of the best parts about this level of baseball is having fun promotions and theme nights. This year we are bringing back our popular 80's Night, Western Weekend, and Disco Night, as well as adding some new ones like a "Stooge-fest" as an ode to the Three Stooges and a "Middle Child Appreciation Night".

In 2012, we did "A night of RODS" when Alex Rodriguez was first suspended for the BioGenesis scandal. Each on-field promotion had a "rod" theme to it, we sold pretzel rods, and gave out vouchers for a game in 2015, the year A-Rod was allowed back in baseball. Fans are starting to actually redeem them this year!

ITBAN

The Boulders have only been playing since 2011 but they have made quite a bit of noise. They have routinely finished near the top of the league in attendance, they were Division Champions in 2014 and had the Manager of the Year. They also won the best of 7 “Parkway Series” (Palisades Interstate Parkway/Garden State Parkway) over the New Jersey Jackals and captured a league championship. That’s a pretty high bar for a team that has only been playing for 4 years. What are the expectations around the ballpark this year?

GM

Of course when you are the defending champions, the goal is to successfully repeat. While that is one of our primary goals, the biggest expectation for us has always been to be a premier destination in the Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey regions. We offer so much more than just great baseball and I think this Craft Beer Fest will help showcase that.

ITBAN

In 2011 former New York Mets player Howard “HoJo” Johnson signed with the Boulders to play two games alongside his son Glen. Is there anyone else that has worn the Boulders uniform that the avid or casual baseball fan might know by name?

GM

While some people may think Independent Baseball doesn't have many "name" players, fans in our area will recognize former Mets pitcher Bobby Jones, who is our pitching coach for the third straight year. We are also very fortunate to have Rockland County native, and former New York Yankee catcher, John Flaherty as a part owner of the team. He and his family attend games regularly. That being said, our players are very friendly with fans and become household names in this area very quickly.

What a waste of beer!

ITBAN

Okay…before we let you go, tell us a little bit about the beers that you like to drink.

GM

I am a craft beer drinker. I usually find myself drinking IPA'S (Goose IPA, Red Hook IPA). In the summer time though, I tend to lean more towards summer ale's and LandShark. There is something about a hot summer day and a ice cold LandShark that makes me happy!

ITBAN

Thanks for taking some time to talk with us. We looking forward to covering Beer Around the Bases next weekend on May 16th!